Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Fourteen years ago a brilliant piece of satire titled Coyote vs Acme
was written by Ian Frazier and published in
The New Yorker, February 26, 1990, p. 42--43.
This is the one spot the courtroom and those cartoons meet.

Also below is a choice video:
Acme Batman Outfits: Guaranteed for the Life of the User

Acme Rocket Skates

Coyote V. Acme

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT,

SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT, TEMPE, ARIZONA

CASE NO. B19294, JUDGE JOAN KUJAVA, PRESIDING

Wile E. Coyote, Plaintiff

-v.-

Acme Company, Defendant

Opening Statement of Mr. Harold Schoff, attorney for Mr. Coyote:

My client, Mr. Wile E. Coyote, a resident of Arizona and contiguous states,
does hereby bring suit for damages against the Acme Company, manufacturer and
retail distributor of assorted merchandise, incorporated in Delaware and doing
business in every state, district, and territory. Mr. Coyote seeks compensation
for personal injuries, loss of business income, and mental suffering causes as
a direct result of the actions and/or gross negligence of said company, under
Title 15 of the United States Code, Chapter 47, section 2072, subsection (a),
relating to product liability.

Mr. Coyote states that on eighty-five separate occasions he has purchased
of the Acme Company (hereinafter, "Defendant"), through that
company's mail-order department, certain products which did cause him bodily
injury due to defects in manufacture or improper cautionary labeling. Sales
slips made out to Mr. Coyote as proof of purchase are at present in the
possession of the Court, marked Exhibit A. Such injuries sustained by Mr. Coyote
have temporarily restricted his ability to make a living in his profession of
predator. Mr. Coyote is self-employed and thus not eligible for Workmen's
Compensation.

Mr. Coyote states that on occasions too numerous to list in this document
he has suffered mishaps with explosives purchased of Defendant: the Acme
"Little Giant" Firecracker, the Acme Self-Guided Aerial Bomb, etc.
(For a full listing, see the Acme Mail Order Explosives Catalogue and attached
deposition, entered in evidence as Exhibit C.) Indeed, it is safe to say that
not once has an explosive purchased of Defendant by Mr. Coyote performed in an
expected manner. To cite just one example: At the expense of much time and
personal effort, Mr. Coyote constructed around the outer rim of a butte a
wooden trough beginning at the top of the butte and spiraling downward around
it to some few feet above a black X painted on the desert floor. The trough was
designed in such a way that a spherical explosive of the type sold by Defendant
would roll easily and swiftly down to the point of detonation indicated by the
X. Mr. Coyote placed a generous pile of birdseed directly on the X, and then,
carrying the spherical Acme Bomb (Catalog #78-832), climbed to the top of the
butte. Mr. Coyote's prey, seeing the birdseed, approached, and Mr. Coyote
proceeded to light the fuse. In an instant, the fuse burned down to the stem,
causing the bomb to detonate.

In addition to reducing all Mr. Coyote's careful preparations to naught,
the premature detonation of Defendant's product resulted in the following
disfigurements to Mr. Coyote:

1Severe singeing of the
hair on the head, neck, and muzzle.

2Sooty discoloration.

3Fracture of the left
ear at the stem, causing the ear to dangle in the aftershock with a creaking
noise.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Bill Robles' first job for local CBS television in 1970 was covering the 9-month long murder
trial of cult leader Charles Manson and his Family members. Robles was awarded
the prestigious Gold Medal from the Los Angeles Art Directors Club for his work
on that trial. He was also awarded three Broadcast Designers Association Gold
Medals.

In 2003 he received the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2005, Emmy-nominated artist Bill Robles made news himself while covering the Michael Jackson trial when Jackson approached Robles about his courtroom portrait of Jackson and his attorneys. He was also interviewed by CNN's Anderson Cooper regarding his work on the Jackson trial.

Other notable court cases covered:
Roman Polanski, Patty Hearst, O.J. Simpson, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, and
James Holmes. His major
clients include CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, Reuters and the Associated Press. He
also works for various entertainment clients and was a member of the prestigious
illustrators studio Group West.

Below is a selection of Bill Robles illustrations for various commercial clients

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Artist Aggie Kenny won an Emmy for her
work on the Mitchell-Stans trial for the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Kenny covered the United States
Supreme Court for over 30 years, and numerous other cases including: James Earl
Ray, David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam), Oliver North, and the recent the trial of Jerry Sandusky. Upcoming in March, her artwork can be seen on the CNN's new series Death Row Stories. info http://bit.ly/1eDk5Up Her highly-regarded
artwork of the World Trade Center responders, “Artist as Witness – the 9/11Responders,” was exhibited at The New
York City Police Museum. Media clients include CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, PBS, CNN, Washington Post, New York Newsday, Reuters, AP, Billboard
and TV Guide.

Select Courtroom Illustrations by Aggie Kenny

Larry Flynt during hearing in the United States Supreme Court in 1987, Flynt seated in gold plated wheel chair listening to the argument in the case of Hustler Magazine vs Falwell . Transcript of the Supreme Court argument SCOTUS transcript of Hustler v Falwell Link to movie clip of the same scene http://cli.ps/Ld3w

Paul Castellano seated during trial in 1985 weeks before his shooting death in front of Sparks Steakhouse in Manhattan on December 16, 1985. Link to the story of the testimony of Sammy " the Bull" Gravano describing the hit.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Today begins a series of mini bios on the artists in the upcoming book,Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years of Court Art, leading up to the book's release in March.
We start with Howard Brodie considered by many to be the "dean of courtroom art" and who was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame with notable artists Rockell Kent and Norman Rockwell.

Howard Joe Brodie was born on Nov. 28, 1915, in Oakland and attended high school in San Francisco. After winning a drawing contest sponsored by The San Francisco Examiner, he was sent by the newspaper to study at the California School of Fine Arts in preparation for a job as a staff artist. He later worked for The San Francisco Chronicle and Life magazine.

Mr. Brodie was a staff artist at TheSan Francisco Chronicle when he enlisted in the Army during World War II. He was sent to the South Pacific as a combat artist and covered the last days of the Guadalcanal campaign.

Below are Brodie's Guadalcanal scenes from 1942-43.

These drawings are in the Library of Congress

Soldiers going up the Matanakau River - Guadalcanal by Howard Brodie 1943

Howard started working for CBS news covering the trial of 1964 Lee HarveyOswald assassin, Jack Ruby. Prior to that he covered the trial of Tokyo Rose in San Francisco. He’s illustrated numerous notable courtroom battles including those of Charles Manson, Klaus Barbie, the Watergate players, the Chicago Seven and Patty Hearst. His work is in the Library of Congress and the Air Force Art Collection.

Below are select courtroom drawings

Charles Manson seated during trial 1970 by Howard Brodie

HR Haldeman during Watergate by Howard Brodie

First Juror Max Causey during the trial of Jack Ruby 1964 by Howard Brodie